Rail-joint.



J. CARTON.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED APR.25, 1914. 1,1 1 6,672, Patented Nov. 10, 1914.

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1 1 (E -T" m II" m I 6 ll 3W0 I 16 15- JC Fm/v Mk/hum I fl Q x w g I alike van THE NORRIS PETERS CO4. PHOTO-LlTHO-- WA$HINU ION. D. C

UNITED TAQLjES PATENT OFFICE,

JAMES cannon, or LOGKMAN, IOWA.

RAIL-JOINT.

To all whom, it may concern j Be it known that I, Jairns CARTON, a citizen. of the United States, residing at Lock- .man, in the county of Monroe and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is'a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in rail joints, and more particularly to that class of joints which are suspended between. adjacentties.

An object of this invention is to provide a joint for railway rails which will permit of the expansion and contraction of the rails, but which will at the same time securely hold the rails in alinement and prevent relativc lateral movement thereof.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a rail. joint which is simple in construction, and which will be efiicient in use.

With these and other objects in View, my invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying draw ings, in which- Figure l is a top plan view of the joint showing the same connected to the rails.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on theline 2-2of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side elevational View of one of the outer fish plates. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the bar for connecting the outer fish plates; and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of one of the innerfish plates.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the ties of a railroad track, upon which the rails 2 are placed in the ordinary manner. Arranged against the opposite faces of the webs of the rails 2 are the outer fish plates 3 and the inner fish plates 4, and formed in the webs of the rails are the bolt openin s 5. The fish plates 3 and 4c are formed with elongated longitudinally extending openings 6 which are arranged to register with the openings 5 in the rails, and disposed through the registered openings 5 and 6 in the rails and fish plates, are bolts 7, the bolts being provided with squared portions 8 adjacent the heads thereof, the squared portions of the bolts being adapted to engage in the Specification of Letters Patent. Applicationfiletl April 25, 1914;. Serial No. 834,496.

Patented Nov. 10, 1914:.

elongated openings 6 in the fish plate 4 so that opposite faces of the squared portions engage the upper and lower walls of the openingsto prevent turning of the bolts, thus preventing the loosening of the nuts 9 upon the bolts. The fish plates 3 and 4 engage the webs of the rails between the heads and base flanges thereof, and the plate 3 is provided adjacent its opposite ends with out wardly and downwardly extending shoulders 16 which are secured to. adjacent ties by suitable fastening devices 11 to securely hold the fish plates in position with relation to the track.

liormed on the outer face of each fish plate 3 intermediate of its ends is an out wardly extending block 12 each of the blocks being provided with a depending extension 13, the extension projecting below the base flanges of the rails, and being provided with a transverse opening 1 1 therein.

A connecting bar 15 is disposed below the rails between adjacent ties 2, the connecting bar having threaded stems 16 projecting longitudinally from its opposite ends the stems being adapted for engagement through the openings 141 in the extensions of the blocks 12, the projecting portions of the stems re ceiving the nuts 17 which bear against the outer faces of the extensions 13 to securely connect the fish plates 3 together. The outer extremities of the stems 16 are preferably provided with slots 18 outwardly of the nuts 1?, the slots receiving the wedges 19, wherebyaccidental turning of the nuts 17 from the stems 16 is prevented.

From the above description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that I have provided an improved rail joint by means of which the meeting ends of rails are connected together in longitudinal alinement with each other, the joint being of a construction to permit of the expansion and contraction of the rails, by reason of the elongated openings formed in the fish plates which receive the bolts 7 which connect the fish plates to the rails. lVhile the bolts are allowed to move longitudinally in the elongated openings in the fish plates, the same are prevented from r0- tation by reason of the squared portions engaging against the upper and lower walls of the openings in one of the fish plates; The connecting bar 15 which extends beneath the rails and between the ties, securely connects the outer fish plates together, so that lateral movement of the fish'plates and rails is prevented.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is i In a rail joint, the combination with the ties and rails of a track, of fish plates connected to the outer faces of the webs of the rails, outwardly and downwardly extending shoulders formed on the opposite ends of the fish plates for connection to the upper faces of adjacent ties, said fish plates having depending portions intermediate of their 5 ends and projecting below and outwardly of Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner arranged transversely of the track below the rails, said reduced ends being adapted for engagement through the transverse openings in the depending portions of the fish plates, said angular bar being arranged closely adjacent to the bases of the rails, whereby rotation of the bar is prevented, fastening means mounted on the reduced threaded ends for engagement against the outer faces of the depending portions to connect the fish plates together, and means for connecting the fish plates to the webs of the rails. i

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. 7 JAMES CARTON. lVitnesses: I j

R. A. PHILLIPS, F. E. (JLonsn.

Washington, D. C.

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